ROCHESTER, N.Y. - An overtime win over Colorado in the first
round of the NLL playoffs, their compelling elimination of first
overall Edmonton in extra time in the West final, and a 10-7
victory at home over defending-champion Rochester in the first game
of the league final had the Calgary Roughnecks believing they were
going to win the Champion's Cup for the third time in franchise
history.

''I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't think there was destiny
on our side,'' says head coach Curt Malawsky.

But the Knighthawks tied the home-and-home set with a 16-10 Game
2 win at home Saturday night and they won 3-2 with a late rally in
the ensuing 10-minute extra session called for in the new format to
walk away with their third straight title. Calgary was, oh, so
close.

The Roughnecks were up 2-0 in the minigame with three minutes
remaining. Their confidence had been building for three
exhilarating weeks.

''We got the last shot in the Colorado game,'' said Malawsky.
''Then everybody was writing us off when we were going to play
Edmonton.''

Calgary won the opener against the Rush and, despite falling
behind 11-2 in the second game, staged an incredible rally to lose
by only two.

''Talk about character,'' said Malawsky. ''Never seen that in my
life. We battled back. We never give up. We catch them in the mini
and then we come up against Rochester and everybody is counting us
out again. I think this team was counted out from the start.

''I think that's what the special thing is: it didn't matter
what everybody else thought. Our motto was Remember Who We Are.
That was the big thing. We believe in ourselves. I think that's why
the guys are so upset because they honestly believed destiny was on
our side (Saturday night in Rochester). With two minutes and 14
seconds remaining, I thought it was, too. It's tough to swallow but
we'll get through it together.''

Craig Point scored the winning goal for Rochester with 59
seconds remaining. Calgary put on a late push but Knighthawks
goaltender Matt Vinc made a huge save just before time expired, and
the 'Necks were done.

''We battled all year together,'' said Shawn Evans, recalling
regular-season wins achieved after six- and eight-goal deficits.
''We have no quit, no give up.

''We battled back all year. In the playoffs, we thought destiny
was on our side, that things were going to go our way. Two OT wins
to get here and we're that close to taking it all. That's why it's
hard to swallow but it's one of those life lessons you learn.
You've got to learn the hard way sometimes. Something is so close
but you can't reach it, you can't get there.''

The players were in disbelief after allowing the three Rochester
goals in a minute and 15 seconds of the minigame that killed their
hopes and dreams.

''It could have gone either way. We were two minutes and 14
seconds away from being successful.''

Malawsky gave the new format, which replaced the previous
single-game eliminations, a stamp of approval.

''I do believe a true champion comes out of the format,'' he
said. ''I support it even though we're on the losing end of it. We
battled hard. We get a big stop with 2:14 to go and have two
possessions to kill and I like our chances of killing that.

''That's what is exciting about lacrosse. A game can turn in a
split second. Tonight it did and we were on the short end of the
stick. It's a tough pill to swallow.''

Calgary brass and players were swallowing pill after pill in
their post-game comments.

''We just weren't able to seal the deal on the defensive end,''
said captain Andrew McBride.

No teams has won a playoff game in Rochester since 2004, but the
'Necks believed they could buck that trend.

''It's an electric barn,'' said McBride. ''We started the
minigame well. But that's what champions do. They battled through.
It's a tough pill to swallow. We've been battling since December,
to have it end like that . . .

''In this league, everybody has other jobs but still makes the
commitment. It's not like any other sport in the world in that
sense. We're not full-time guys. We don't get paid a lot of money.
I don't think the average fan knows that. It's not a lot. I'm proud
of the guys on this team. We made friendships that will last
forever. We went on this journey together. It's tough to go into
that locker room and look everyone in the eye because you feel that
you let guys down. But it is what it is.''

''When all is said and done, we played hard to the end but,
unfortunately, we're one goal short. It's tough,'' said Evans.

The last frenzy made for nailbiting time.

''We came pretty close _ one goal short,'' added Evans. ''We had
a couple of shots at the end and Vinc made a couple of saves.
Congratulations Rochester.

''They're a good team. We knew what they were going to throw at
us. We knew (Dan) Dawson was going to be in the lineup.
Unfortunately, a few things didn't go our way. It's tough to
swallow.''

Rochester has won three straight championships since trading
Evans to Calgary for the first-round draft pick the 'Hawks used to
get Johnny Powless.

''We lost to the best team in the NLL _ simple as that,'' said
Malawsky. ''They deserved to take it.

''Is it a missed opportunity for us? Absolutely. We got beat by
a better team. That's just the way it is. I'm proud of the way our
guys competed. We started back in December and we grew as a group
and as a family. I can't be more proud to lead this group of men
down the road because they're special. You've got to hold your head
high when you lose. It's a cliché but I really believe these
men should hold their heads high. We were two minutes 14 seconds
away. I can't be more proud of the Calgary Roughnecks and the
organization. You've got to lose a few times before you win. We're
still believing in each other.''

The Roughnecks lost the NLL final but they didn't lose their
reputation as one of the very best teams in indoor pro lacrosse.
There was a distinct touch of class in all of their post-game
comments. They'll be back next season and opponents had better be
prepared because they'll be hard to beat.